2016 Renault Duster facelift caught testing ahead of Auto Expo debut

After an early split with Mahindra & Mahindra during its first stint in India in 2005, French automaker Renault returned to the country as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Renault SA in 2008. The company launched Fluence sedan, Koleos SUV and Pulse hatchback in the next two years, but it was the Duster SUV that helped Renault to establish itself in the Indian market.

Now, three years later, the Duster SUV is set to get a facelift and the vehicle with heavy camouflage was caught testing once again ahead of the confirmed unveiling at the Auto Expo 2016 to be held at Greater Noida from 5 February. The pictures by AutocarIndia indicate the SUV will feature cosmetic changes in line with the internationally updated model, which is currently on sale in Brazil.

The face of the SUV will receive single slat grill instead of the current multi-slat grill. The design of the headlamp remains the same, but there will be repositioning of main lamp and indicator lights inside the cluster. The front and rear bumpers will also undergo some changes, but the basic silhouette will remain the same. Apart from these, the vehicle will run on a newly-designed dark coloured alloy wheels. The rear-end of the SUV will posses very few changes. Tail lamps in different style can be confirmed.

In the interior, a redesigned dashboard with up-market upholstery can be expected. The model will continue to have seven-inch MediaNAV infotainment display and cruise control. Our sources also revealed that the facelift will be followed by an automatic transmission variant. Against the touted AMT gearbox, the facelift will be equipped with the conventional automatic transmission and the launch is scheduled for May-June 2016.

Under the hood, the new Duster could retain the 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine, developing power in two state of tune -- 84bhp and 108bhp. The engine is mated to 5-speed and 6-speed manual gearboxes.